Police find no evidence of needle spiking yet

In the Netherlands, no evidence has yet been found for so-called needle spiking, i.e. drugging with hypodermic needles. The National Police concludes this on the basis of dozens of investigated reports.

Due to social unrest, especially at festivals, the police have started to keep track of the number of reports and reports about alleged drug use with hypodermic needles. In the period from May of this year to last weekend, 40 to 45 cases of needle spiking were reported. “We searched the reports for keywords such as ‘aggravated assault’, ‘unwell person’ and ‘suspicious situation’,” said a police spokesperson.

Over the past two months, law enforcement has received reports from all over the country. Victims were, for example, people who felt bad at a square party or festival after they had been stabbed in the body.

The reason for the increase in the number of reports and declarations may be due to the media attention. Partying young people who did not feel well because of, for example, too much alcohol or poor sleep, can therefore feel more quickly a victim of needle spiking,” says the police spokesperson.

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The drug method has also been reported in other European countries such as France, Belgium and the United Kingdom in recent years, but evidence that victims were actually drugged with a hypodermic needle is lacking.

Arrest

Last weekend at a festival in The Hague, a 31-year-old man without a permanent home or residence was arrested after it was reported that a woman had been stabbed with “something sharp”. A visitor saw it happen and reported this to security there. During the arrest, the police found a needle in the man.

The police do not want to confirm whether it is actually needle spiking. It is “subject to investigation”, a spokesperson for The Hague police said. Police do not rule out the possibility of more victims. “We ask people to report to us.” The suspect will be brought before the examining magistrate on Wednesday on suspicion of aggravated assault.